MICHAEL PELTIER

• Peltier column: Buckle up for legislative session's frenzied final week Published 03/04/2012 at 5:24 p.m.

  Well, it all comes down to this. Florida lawmakers return today for what is scheduled to be final act of the 2012 legislation.

• Peltier column: Do Florida's new freshwater standards go far enough? Published 12/11/2011 at 3:38 p.m.

  Long touted as the Sunshine State, Florida is increasingly being looked at for how it balances protecting its environment, most notably freshwater resources, while dealing with inevitable population growth.

• Peltier column: Florida growing but some still left behind Published 11/20/2011 at 3 p.m.

  TALLAHASSEE — With Thanksgiving just days away, a few more Floridians will have something to be thankful for as the state's economy continues to rumble, albeit slowly, back to life.

• Peltier column: Insurance issues resurface Published 11/13/2011 at 2 p.m.

  TALLAHASSEE — Confronting an industry costing motorists $1 billion a year in higher premiums, lawmakers this week will turn their attention to reining in costs for an increasingly controversial coverage that was supposed to save money by keeping people out ...

• Peltier column: International intrigue hits museum in state capital Published 11/06/2011 at 3:15 p.m.

  TALLAHASSEE — It was a scene out of some Hollywood movie: Dark-suited federal agents in equally dark sunglasses converge on a small regional art museum a stone's throw from the state capitol building to retrieve a $2.5 million painting stolen ...

• Peltier column: Gov. Scott says Florida still on track for 700,000 jobs Published 10/23/2011 at 1:02 p.m.

  The campaign slogan has become a mantra: 700,000 jobs in seven years.

• Michael Peltier: State lawmakers return to work with many obstacles ahead Published 10/16/2011 at 4:52 p.m.

  lready complicated by election year politics, lawmakers return again this week in preparation for an election year special session now less than three months away.

• Peltier column: State spending will be set this week Published 10/09/2011 at 1:35 p.m.

  With the 2012 legislative session pushed up two months to accommodate an expected fight over redrawing political boundaries, lawmakers will likely get another piece of contentious news this week that will not make their job any easier.

• Peltier column: Florida wants to be early bird in primary process Published 10/02/2011 at 1:12 p.m.

  Florida political leaders have struck their claim in the presidential primary land grab as they pushed the state’s contest to Jan. 31 and forced traditionally early primary venues to also move their contests earlier.

• Peltier column: Tom Grady wants more flexibility over bank oversight Published 09/25/2011 at 2:45 p.m.

  Former state lawmaker and long-time securities fraud litigator Tom Grady has taken little time to promote changes in his newest endeavor as the state top banking regulator.

• Senate panel passes outdoor smoking ban bill Published 02/21/2013 at 7:22 p.m.

  The Naples City Council flirted with a smoking ban on city beaches and parks a few years back, but never ultimately passed one at the advice of the city attorney. "Anything with teeth in it, we were just overruled," said ...

• Report critical of Enterprise Florida Published 02/06/2013 at 6:47 p.m.

  “This is an organization that is long overdue for a close look by the Florida Legislature,” said Dan Krassner, Integrity Florida executive director and co-author of the report. “It’s been 20 years."

• Legislative round-up: New Year marks return of perennial issues Published 01/09/2013 at 5:30 p.m.

  As advocacy groups prepare for a legislative cycle that for all intents and purposes begins this week, a handful of hot button issues has already re-emerged that will provide fodder for part-time lawmakers.

• Judge orders state to pay attorney fees in drug test case Published 12/28/2012 at 5:54 p.m.

  Florida’s attempt to drug test employees will cost taxpayers $190,589.74 after a federal judge in Miami ordered the state to pay attorney fees in a case challenging an executive order issued by Gov. Rick Scott.

• Florida home sales up nearly 25 percent over a year ago Published 12/20/2012 at 9 p.m.

  TALLAHASSEE _ Florida's housing market continued to rebound in November, with existing home sales and median prices making double-digit increases over last year.

• Citizens' president vows insurer will become better broker to private carriers Published 11/29/2012 at 9:11 p.m.

  “We’ve got the worst coverage in the marketplace,” Gilway said. “That’s by design. Is that stopping 8,000 policies a week coming through our front door? It’s not.”

• Gov. Scott calls for investigation of Citizens Insurance retaliation against whistle blower employees Published 11/19/2012 at 7 p.m.

  TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott on Monday ordered his auditor general to investigate whether officials at Citizens Property Insurance Corp. retaliated against whistle blowers within the state-backed insurer when they shut down the internal investigation unit last month.

• Fla. counties start checking for illegal voters; Collier already had names Published 09/29/2012 at 8 a.m.

  Local elections supervisors will again begin checking names of some registered voters to see if they're eligible to cast ballots.

• Citizens to consider $300 million loan program Published 09/06/2012 at 6:54 p.m.

  The proposed loan program could result in up to 350,000 policies being taken out of Citizens within two years, Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway said Thursday.

• Full embrace: Charlie Crist endorses Obama Published 08/26/2012 at 1 p.m.

  In an op/ed piece in the Tampa Bay Times, Crist further distanced himself from the party he stepped away from two years ago, saying Republicans have moved too far to the right and have alienated middle class Americans, women and ...

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